Separator



(No Model.)

- P. H. WHEELAN.

SEPARATOR.

No. 474,930. Patented May 17, 1892.

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U NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FAIRFAX HENRY IVHEELAN, OF SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA.

SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,930, dated May 1'7, 1892.

Application filed April 16, 1891.. Serial No. 389,218. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FAIRFAX HENRY WHEE- LAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara county, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Separators; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to the art of separation and to the class of machines and apparatus therefor.

It consists in a mode or method of separating materials composed of particles of different sizes by carrying the material-upon a suitable moving surface toward a succession of graduated openings and drawing them by and upon said surface through said openings as their sizes will permit.

My invention also consists in a mode or method of separating materials composed of particles of different sizes and having a greater length and breadth than thickness by carrying the material upon a suitable moving surface toward a succession of graduated openings, presenting the particles edgewise to said openings, and drawing them by and upon said surface through said openings as their different thicknesses will permit.

It further consists in a mode or method of separating material composed of particles of different sizes and having a greater length and breadth than thickness by carrying the material upon a suitable moving surface toward a succession of graduated openings, presenting the particles edgewise to said openings, drawing them by and upon said surface through said openings as their different thicknesses will permit, and finally keeping separated the difierent-sized particles which pass through the said graduated openings.

It also consists in the novel construction of machine or apparatus by which my mode or method is carried out, as I shall hereinafter fully describe, and specifically point 'out inand breadth than thickness-such, for example, as Lima beans.

In the accompanying drawings, to which reference is made, and in which Figure 1 is a plan and Fig. 2 is a vertical section, I have shown a novel apparatus adapted to carry out my mode or method of separation. Fig. 3 is a detail showing the spouts and troughs.

'A is a frame or stand in which is mounted suitably a Vertical shaft B, adapted to be driven by means of suitable power connections, such as the belt and pulley 0. Upon this shaft is mounted a horizontal bed or table D, the surface of which may be of any suitable material, smooth or slightly roughened, or more roughened-such, for example, as wire-cloth. In the center of this table is a feed-chamber d, into which the material i fed from a hopper E above.

Suitably secured above the table D is the series of stationary guides. These guides are in sets of three and are around the entire table. The first guide of each set is designated by F, and its inner end is tangential to the circumference of the feed-chamber d and is in communication therewith. From its inner end outwardly a short distance the under edge of the guide F is cut away, leaving an opening f under it, and from the outer end of this opening the guide F is again cutaway,

.leaving another opening f, which is wider or higher than theopeningf, and from there out the guide is solid and comes down close to the surface of the table. Leading off from the inner end of the opening f and just behind the guide F is a guide G, which extends outwardly to anydesired distance-as, for eX- ample, to the edge of thetable. From the inner end of the opening f extends a middle guide H, parallel with the guide G and ex tending to the edge of the table. These guides F, G, and H constitute one set, and there are similar sets of guides al around the table. At the outer ends of these guides are secured spouts F, G, and H, which have their lower ends in communication with the three separated troughs F G and H Secured to the table D is an arm I, having scrapers 2' extending down into the troughs, and at different portions of the trough are openings J, by which their contents may be discharged when pushed to them by the scrapers.

The general mode or method of separation carried out by this apparatus is as follows: The material to be separated consists of particles of different sizes. It is fed from the hopper into the feed-chamber d. As the ta-. ble D revolves the material passes outwardly by draft along the inner ends of the guides F. As it moves along the guides F those particles which are small enough will be carried or drawn by the table (to the surface of which they cling) through the openings f in the guides F, while the larger-particles will notpass through said openings. The smaller particles whiehhavebeendrawn through theopen-v ingsf meet with the guides G, and by draft are carried outwardly along said guides to the spouts G, and are bythem delivered into the trough G Larger particles passing by the openings fwill-be drawn by the surface of the table through the openings f, and, meeting with the guides IL'WlllbB by draft conducted outwardly to the spouts Il',by which they will be discharged into the trough H Those particles which are too large-to pass throughtheopenings f will be conducted outwardly by the .guides F into the spouts F and thence into the trough W. In these troughs the separated particles can be collected in any suit ticles having greater length and breadth than thickness. Take, for example, Lima beans. With many seeds and grains, especially with Lima beans, there are found mixed split beans and particles of dirt. The shape of a Lima bean :is well known, its length and breadth being greatly disproportionate toits thickness. In operation upon this apparatus the split beans, being thin, pass through the openings f. The perfect beans, failing to pass said .openings by reason of their greater thickness, passthrou'gh the openings f, while the particlesot' dirt, being, as a rule, very much thicker-than the beans, though not so long or so wide, will not pass through either of the openin gsforf', but will be conducted along bythe guides F to their outer end. Such particles of dirt as will pass through the openings f by reason of being thin are verymuch smaller otherwise than the perfect beans,-and

therefore they can be readily-screened. away from the beans afterward by the use of an ordinary screen, through which they will fall,

while the beans will not, or such small dirt can be screened out on the table itself; but the greater part of the dirt particles will not pass through the openings f, as they are too thick.

In screening operations there are two courses to pursue-first, to make the screen with a mesh large enough to letthebeans fall through and keep the dirt on the screen; but on account of the peculiar shape of thebeans these openings would have to be very large, and consequently very large pieces of dirt would pass through the meshes with the beans. The second course is to make the openings small enough to allow the particles of dirt to pass and retain the beans; but such openings would only allow the small particles of dirt to pass, because the shape of the particles of dirt is such that the larger pieces would require openings large enough-to let the beans fall through. We have therefore -to work upon the principle ofthe different thicknesses between the beans and the particles of. dirt, and an ordinary screen could not be successfully used to carry out this principle. Onv the contrary, a mode or method which draws the beans positively through graduated openings, said beans presenting their thickness to the openings, is practicableand will effect the-result.

Having thus described my invention,-:-What I claim-as new,'and desire to secureby Letters Patent. is-

1. An apparatus for separating materials composed of particles of differentsizesconsisting of a moving surface upon-which the material isfed,-a-nd guides above saidsurface having graduated openings to :permit the passageas thematerialis drawn through them by the moving surface of. different particles, according to their several-sizes,-substantially as herein described.

2. An apparatus for separating materials composed of particles of differentsizes, con sisting of a moving surface upon which. the material is fed, guides above said surface having graduated openings to permit the pas sage as the material is drawn through them by the moving surface of difierent particles, according to their severalsizes, and aseparate. guide behind and in communication with each opening'to receive and maintain-separate the different-sized particles, substantially as herein described.

3. An apparatus for separating materials composed ofparticles of different-sizes, consisting of the; rotating table andzthe-series of guides above saidtable in sets of three, composed'of the guides F, having thegraduated openings ff, the guides G in communication with the openings f, andthe guides H- in com- I munication with the openings f substantially as herein described.

4. An apparatus for separatingma-terials composed of particles of different sizes,--'consistingof the rotating table? having the central feed-chamber, the sets of guides, each composed of the guides F, having the gradu- H in communication with said openings, the

ated openings f and f and the guides G and H in communication with said openings, the spouts at the ends of the guides, and the troughs in communication with said spouts, substantially as herein described.

5. An apparatus for separating materials composed of particles of different sizes, consisting of the rotating table having the central feed-chamber, the sets of guides, each composed of the guides F, having the graduated openingsfand f, and the guides Gand spouts at the ends of the guides, the troughs in communication with said spouts, and the 15 scrapers connected with the rotating table and operating in the troughs, substantially as herein described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FAIRFAX HENRY WHEELAN. Witnesses:

F. H. HERBERT, L. J. PAINTER. 

